Traumatic Brain Injury - FAQ

Our child's doctors told us that it would be years before we would know how our toddler would recover from his fall. Why can't they tell us now?

There are many reasons why it is difficult to predict the outcome of brain injury in children. It is more difficult to determine pre- and post-injury function in a toddler than in an adult, where work and academic records are available. It used to be thought that children were more resistant to residual effects of a brain injury because their brains could "rewire" connections lost during the brain injury. However, we now know that children may be more susceptible to injury, although the damage may not be evident for years. For instance, injury to the brain's reading and writing areas won't be obvious until the child reaches school age and is expected to learn these skills. As adolescents and adults, "frontal lobe functions" develop. These include high-level reasoning and control of social interactions and interpersonal skills, particularly inhibiting behaviors that aren't acceptable in society. If a child's frontal lobe is injured, it may not be apparent until the related skills are expected to be present.

Periodic re-evaluation will be necessary during the school years. Early intervention, if problems are observed, is key to minimizing complications and maximizing your child's functioning.